Underground Nightmares
by ArtistKurai
Summary: Missing scene from season 2 episode 3. Ryu and Hayato are trapped in the underground warehouse, and Ryu's a little shaken after getting beaten by Kudo and his gang. When he has nightmares, Hayato's there to bring him out of it.


A/N: Hi hi, guys! What is up this fine Friday? Or Saturday, depending on your time zone. I have a new story for you! This story was requested by ScottMcCall07. I hope you enjoy it, my friend.

Disclaimer: I solemnly swear I do not own Gokusen, despite my best attempts.

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The door to the warehouse was sealed shut. There was nothing either teenager could do. Yabuki Hayato looked over to his best friend, who had sunk down to the floor. "Can you get up?" Hayato asked. 

Odagiri Ryu didn't move, just breathed a sigh through his nose. "Give me a minute," he said softly. He felt the door shake as Hayato sat next to him, groaning lowly as the movement jarred him. 

"You okay?" asked Hayato in concern. He'd heard his friend's moan of pain. 

Ryu didn't move. His whole body hurt from the beating he'd gotten from Kudo and his gang. "Those guys don't hold anything back," he huffed in annoyance. 

"How badly did they hurt you?" Hayato hoped Ryu wasn't hurt too seriously. There was no way for them to get Ryu medical attention if he needed it. 

"I'm going to be sore for a while," Ryu confessed softly. "But it's no worse than some of the fights we've had," he chuckled humorlessly. 

The reminder hit Hayato with a pang. It was true that he and Ryu had had some brutal fights in the past. When he learned the truth behind Ryu's so-called betrayal, Hayato wanted to kick himself. But he didn't bring it up. They'd hashed all that out after their fight with the Ara High rivals. 

"Still," sighed Hayato, forcing himself to his feet, "let me make sure you're not hurt too badly." Kneeling before his best friend, Hayato lifted Ryu's shirt to get a look at his chest. It was extremely red, and bruises were starting to appear in some places, but it wasn't anything that time wouldn't heal on its own. 

"Not bad," he decided. He let Ryu's shirt back down and sat back on his heels. "You'll be fine." 

"Told you," Ryu said sarcastically. The two friends sat in silence for a while, letting their minds catch up to the present. "We're stuck here for the night, aren't we?" 

"Looks like it," Hayato agreed. His eyes roved over the warehouse, trying to find a spot where they could bed down for the night. Seeing nothing that would be remotely comfortable, the teenager gave up and decided to just drag his friend back to the spot where he'd found him. "Let's just settle in for the night, I guess." 

After getting back to the stacks of boxes where Ryu had been left by Kudo, the boys settled down on the floor and got as comfortable as possible on the cold concrete. 

With nothing better to do, the boys went to sleep. Frequently falling asleep in class had made them accustomed to sleeping in a sitting position, so it didn't take long for either of them to doze off. 

Hayato didn't know how long they'd slept, but he was woken up by a strange sound. Looking around, the teenager saw Ryu fidgeting in his sleep. "Ryu?" he called gently. He reached over and shook Ryu's shoulder. 

"Mm, no," Ryu mumbled in his sleep, his head tossing from side to side. "No no." 

"Ryu," Hayato said again, shaking his friend's shoulder more forcefully. "Ryu, wake up." More moans escaped Ryu as he tried to move away from Hayato. "Ryu!" 

The shout woke Ryu from the nightmare that had him in its clutches. His eyes snapped open and he looked around warily. Seeing nothing to cause alarm, he slumped back to the floor in relief. 

"You alright?" asked Hayato. 

Ryu was still breathing heavily as he settled back down on the floor. "Yeah, I'm fine." 

"Nightmare?" Ryu nodded and let his eyes close once again. "Want to talk about it?" Hayato offered. 

"Kudo," Ryu whispered. "He was pretty relentless." Hayato wasn't very surprised by this admission. Were he in Ryu's position, he'd probably be having nightmares, too. "I think he's more dangerous than our usual opponents." 

"I wouldn't doubt it," Hayato agreed. He could see how tired, and probably sore, Ryu was, so he decided to let the matter go for the time being. "Well, I doubt he'll be back tonight, not after locking us up in here. Not only that, but I'm sure Yamaguchi will find him pretty soon. We definitely won't have to worry about him after that." Ryu smirked at the images that evoked and snorted a laugh. "Let's try to get some more sleep before someone comes and lets us out." 

Ryu complied, but he seemed a bit hesitant to Hayato. Without a word, the taller boy settled down next to Ryu, much closer than before. It had the desired effect, and Hayato's nearness reassured Ryu enough that he was able to fall back into sleep. Glad that his friend was alright, Hayato let himself relax as well. The last thing he was aware of before sleep claimed him was his best friend's head resting on his shoulder.

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A/N: And, there you have it! Please leave me a review letting me know how you like it. Or don't like it. How about just leaving a review to let me know what you think about it? That works, right? Thanks!


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